The Future He Never Had
by Liv-x-Case-Benson
Summary: "You should come with me, Mom." "I don't know. It'll be so different." 15 yrs later - Future-Trunks wants to go back again to see if things changed for the better. Will he still want to go after learning his mother's secret from the day Vegeta died? R&R
1. The Truth

The Future He Never Had

By: Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell

**Chapter 1: The Truth**

The Demi-Sayain hummed a small tune as he entered the hole in his home, searching for the single woman who had made everything possible 15 years earlier.

"Mom!" he yelled walking down the dimly lit hallway. He sighed. Even though the androids and Cell had been gone for 15 years now, because they had destroyed the city, they had no resources to rebuild it, or his home for that matter. "Mom, I'm home!" he called into her laboratory.

He saw her sitting at the computer reworking the power sources to make them last longer. She didn't even look up or acknowledge him, but he knew she was glad he was home.

"I'm gonna grab a shower. Been training all morning."

She nodded, changing the formulas this way and that, too focused to say anything.

He sighed, wishing she would say something, but knew she wouldn't as long as no danger was eminent. He smirked. Well that was a perk of having the famous Bulma Briefs as his mother. She was always looking for new solutions to power their broken city. The citizens who were left did all they could to rebuild the city themselves, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

Vaguely, he thought about taking his usual seat next to her, but thought she might want something to eat first.

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, taking out the leftover casserole and potatoes to heat up. He nuked it in the microwave for about 3 minutes before grabbing it again and walking back into the lab. He set the food on the table and walked over behind her.

"Not now, Trunks. I'm busy," she replied and continued with the adjustments.

He smiled, tiredly. He grabbed her long hair and pulled it to cascade down her back. "But you haven't eaten all day, Mom. Going back is important to me, to us, but it won't be worth it if you die of starvation while I'm gone."

The woman sighed, turning to face him. "I know, but I'm almost finished now." She smiled. "And once I get done, you can finally go back again." She finished as he heard her stomach growl.

"So, you're not hungry?" he asked sarcastically. "I nuked this food for nothing?"

She stood up, and went to walk over, but fell against him. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired."

He nodded, sitting her in front of the plate. "And probably a bit famished." He laughed. "I know you've been working on the generator for three days straight."

She yawned. "Three?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I told you about this Friday morning at breakfast and its Sunday afternoon."

Her eyes widened. "Sunday? Wow, I've really been out of it."

He took a seat in the chair beside her.

She sighed, running a hand through her light, long blue locks. "It's just . . . its always so empty in the house, even with you here," she replied sadly. "I just wish – more than anything – for everyone to be alive again. I've been used to working in here alone, but…" she laughed. "I do miss your father."

"But Mom, from what I saw between you two he—well he wasn't what I thought you would ever call 'husband material'," Trunks finished in air quotations. "Half of the time, he was either putting you down or ordering you around. I just don't get that," he said disheartened.

She smiled, placing her hand on his. "I know, but that's just how he was. He wasn't raised to show his emotions. He was 'the greatest Sayain the world has ever known', in his words of course."

"Then why-what-how did—?" he sighed. Typically this would be the conversation you would never have with a parent, but his life—as hers—was anything but normal.

She laughed, seeing him struggle for the words and blush pink, but decided the explanation could wait a bit. "Weren't you going to take a shower a while ago?" she asked, pulling her long tangled hair into a bun.

"I was. I got sidetracked when I made you something to eat," he admitted.

"Well go then. Enjoy a nice hot shower. I'll have an answer after I finish my meal that my loving son has provided me with." She smirked. "Have you seen him around?" she joked.

He grinned. "Possibly. Is he about my height?"

"Yep."

"Lavender hair."

"Mhm, it's pretty too."

"And bright blue eyes like yours""

"Those are the ones. Except he usually doesn't smell like a sweatshop."

Laughing, he accidentally caught a whiff and nearly turned green. "God Mom! How did you put up with us?" he asked, draping his discarded shirt over an arm to throw in the wash. "I can barely stand it!"

Bulma just smiled. "You do crazy things for love, son. You always will."

Taking one last look, he exited the room and zoomed for the bathroom.

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><p><em>20 minutes later…<em>

Trunks stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and put on some fresh clothes before exiting the bathroom. He stopped in the kitchen, grabbing an energy drink and going back to his mom's lab.

He leaned in the doorframe, his eyes grazing the empty plate of food before resting on the woman at the computer. "So, enjoy your lunch?"

This time she turned and in the chair, smiling. "Yes, I did." He walked over and sat in the chair beside her, his short lavender hair still dripping wet. "Thank you," she placed her hand on his, "for taking care of me this time."

"Well, figured if I didn't, sooner or later you'd collapse and then who would fix the time machine?"

She laughed. "Yeah, that would be an utter travesty, wouldn't it?" she joked. "I hope everything turned out okay."

Trunks thought a moment. "You know, if I really tried, I bet we could both fit. You should come with me, Mom."

She sighed. "Trunks, I-I don't know. It'll be so different. I'll meet people I've probably never even heard of and—" she stopped short, not wanting to share the information with him. It was just better if he didn't know.

"Mom?" he asked. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, son, nothing. Listen, you'd better go pack a couple capsule cases."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure? It looks like its got you upset."

She nodded, wiping the tears she prayed he didn't see.

He pulled her over to him and hugged her tight. "I love you," he whispered into her shoulder, feeling her cling to him. Whatever she wasn't telling him was huge, but he knew it was best not to push.

She pulled back from him. "I love you too."

He stood up. "You're sure you don't want to come with me?"

She thought a moment.

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Give it some thought. We probably won't be up in the air until sometime next week anyway." With that, he walked away.

* * *

><p><em>Later that night… <em>

Bulma Briefs lay in bed realizing how horrible it was to keep this secret all these years. Without Vegeta there, it didn't seem like a pertinent thing to tell him, especially when the accident happened. She threw the covers back and stood up. He was an adult now—though he'd always be her little boy—and he could handle the truth.

Seeing a light on in the Gravitron Room she smiled in relief. He was just like his father in that way. This was always where he was when he couldn't sleep.

She pushed a couple buttons on the control pad and the gravity instantly reset to 1 and the blaring music faded to a dull roar. The door opened and there he was at the far end of the room, doing pushups with a of couple bar weights on his back.

She grabbed a fresh towel and a couple bottles of water and walked over.

He was focused, so focused that he couldn't even feel the impressions the bars were making on his bare back. The next second, a shadow fell over him and he collapsed onto the floor in pain. "Ow!"

She dropped everything. "Trunks!" she called, dropping to her knees and barely managing to slide the 1,000 lb. weights off of her son's back. "Oh, God, sweetie! You can't do this anymore. Not this much." She laid the iced water bottles on his back and pulled him to his knees, tying the towel tightly around him.

He leaned against her shoulder. "C-couldn't sleep," he panted.

"I can see that. I know you want to be strong, but this is too much at once. I think your back might be bleeding," Bulma answered seeing blood on the towel.

He smiled. "M-might be? I-I know i-it is."

She sighed heavily. "Such is the attitude of a true Sayain, kid."

"So, did you come in here to harp on me?" he asked, managing a non-stumbling sentence.

Her blue eyes became cloudy. "No, I didn't. There's a reason I don't want to go back with you."

Trunks sat up of his own volition and gently rested against the wall. "Whatever the reason is Mom, you don't have to tell me."

She turned to look at him. "No, I do have to tell you because I want to go back with you." She swallowed thickly. "Do remember when the androids first came here to the house?"

"You mean when 17 threw you down hoping you wouldn't get back up, but when you did 18 threw an energy ball that hit you square in the stomach and then Dad...he fought while I took you away and later we learned…"

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yes, but there's a bit more to the story that I never told you."

Not knowing the secret, he replied with his father's cocky arrogance. "What could possibly be worse than Dad dying?"

Her tears increased ten-fold and she wanted to yell at him, but she had to remind herself that he didn't know, not yet. "I knew, the second that energy ball hit me, that I was in trouble. Trunks, I-I was two months pregnant and…I lost the baby. I knew I was stressed, but the energy ball had to have done it. I was stressed when I was pregnant with you, but not like this..."

His brain momentarily stopped after the word pregnant. The androids had taken more than his father's life that day. And it pissed him off even more. Not the fact that his mom didn't tell him. No, he understood that. He stood up, cringing in pain and walked over to the opposite side of the room. He started to take his anger out on the walls in front of him.

All the while, his mother had her face in her hands thinking she was mad at him. She couldn't think straight now. If only she'd run when she had the chance. A second later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and felt his arms around her. "I'm so, so sorry, Trunks!"

He pulled her closer, tighter. "It's not your fault. I'd never, ever blame you for this."

She shook with sobs. "I-I-I kn-know, but…" her entire body tensed. She'd never had the time or the energy to admit what happened to herself. That she'd not only lost her husband that day, but a piece of him as well.

Since no one had moved in 15 minutes, the machine shut off and the lights dimmed to nothing except the two above them.

"Mom, are you sure you really want to go back? You'll only see what you never had," her son whispered.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to take a deep breath, but it just came out as a painful moan. She did manage to nod her head though.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, what do you think of my 1st Dragon Ball Z fan fic?

And, before you totally flame me for the fact that Bulma didn't have Bra for years after the androids were gone, yes, I know the timeline is way screwed up. I like it that way.

[This will be a 2-shot.]

Please read and review!

**Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell**


	2. Seeing True Beauty

The Future He Never Had

By: Liv-x-Lex4Ever

**Chapter 2: Seeing Pure Beauty**

_A week later…_

Trunks and Bulma walked out to the fully-charged time machine. They both had bags slung over their shoulders and a guarded smile upon their lips. The open cap of the time machine glistened in the hot sun. He wiped the sweat from his brow and grabbed his mother around the waist and lifted her into the open cap.

She smiled. "That was nice of you, but there's a ladder right next to us."

He looked at her, situating himself at the controls, and closed the lid. "I know. I wanted to. It's lucky you made the inside a bit bigger. Otherwise, I'd really be squished."

Bulma flipped the switch with ease and entered '2010' in the year spot and then she sat at the back and relaxed a bit. Trunks joined her. "I'd say it's more than a bit bigger. We can actually sit down. Both of us."

"How'd you manage that anyway? It looks pretty much the same."

She gestured to the circle in the bottom.

He looked at her in awe. "N-no way! This? This-this thing is a capsule inside a capsule?"

She laughed. "Yes, it took me years to perfect it and even now it has a few cracks."

"So, when we land…?"

"Just hit the normal button. It's all connected. When the outside shrinks, this will too."

"Do I ever mention how great it is that you're a genius?" he smiled cheekily.

"Not nearly enough," she stretched and yawned. "We should be there in about 4 hours. I need to rest."

He looked at the floor. "Hey Mom, before you sleep I have a question to ask, but I'm not sure if I should."

She patted his shoulder. "I just came clean about something no one else knew. Something so painful it still hurts to think about. If I can do that, you can ask me your question."

"Yeah, but see, that's just it . . ."

Silence was a friend for a moment. Deep down, she was anxious of his question, but she still wanted to know. "What's your question?"

He bit his lip in hesitation and slowly asked. "I know technology is advanced since you've improved a lot, but well, did you know the gender of the baby?" As soon as he asked he regretted it because he knew those memories were ones she would rather forget. "I'm sorry. Forget I asked okay?" He scooted to the far end to let her rest.

"I didn't 'know' but I had a 'feeling'. That's why it's going to hurt me by coming with you, but still…I want to know. Is this timeline like that? Would you have had a little brother or sister? Would they have looked like me or like your father?"

"Everyone wonders that, Mom, but most people aren't privileged enough to get to see it."

She sighed, lying on the seat. "Yeah, but I always wanted a little girl to spoil."

He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you'll get to spoil her here."

She nodded, her eyes drifting closed.

* * *

><p><em>Bulma opened her eyes, realizing she was back in her house. 'Wait,' she thought. 'Wasn't I in the time machine with Trunks?' She stood up, noticing something was odd about herself. Her hair wasn't in the style she put it in that morning. Part of it was up and the rest lay on her shoulders.<em>

_She walked out of the lab. Reaching the door, her mouth dropped open in shock. Everything was back to normal. Nothing was broken or out of place and everything looked brighter._

_Walking down the hallway to the Gravitron Room, she expected to see Trunks, but instead she saw the Prince of the Sayain race training hard. For a second, she stopped to watch in awe. She wished she could open the door and hear him yell, but upon trying to press the combination, she realized she was invisible._

_She stifled a cry. Looking right, she saw a child's shoe, but it wasn't her son's, no. Her son didn't wear pink princess shoes. 'A girl?' she thought. 'My little girl?' With that, she ran down the hall trying to find her little girl who remained nameless._

* * *

><p>"Mom?" Trunks said, shaking her gently. "Mom, wake up."<p>

She rubbed her eyes and sat up. "What?"

"We're here."

She looked around, seeing beautiful grassland with tall, shady trees, birds flying overhead, chirping. She could hear the stream too as well as feel the breeze. She stood up as Trunks helped her down onto the soft grass. "It's so nice," she said walking over and sitting next to the clear stream.

He sighed and sat beside her. "Yeah, it really is. I can't believe a place so open to construction is still so breathtaking."

She laughed.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"You need more guy friends, Trunks. What guy calls the outdoors breathtaking? What about rugged, musky, or dirty?"

"Hey, at least I had a parent who actually showed me affection!" he claimed.

She sighed. "Yeah, but you knew he loved you, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, like a rival maybe," he exasperated as he stood up, pulling her with him. "Come on, we've got a ways to go."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's fly!"

He held her tightly to him and took off toward the city.

* * *

><p>An hour later, they were flying over the city.<p>

Bulma looked as happy as Trunks had ever seen her. "It's so nice to be here where things aren't demolished."

He smiled, landing behind a couple trees. "It sure is. We should probably walk from here. It's only a block." He took a few steps forward and then ran back. "Yeah, we're about there. Same as always."

His mother laughed. "Don't you think I know that? It may have been years since you've been back and I've never been back here, but I know my family well enough to say that while we may expand, we'll never relocate."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but as we know well by now, looks can be deceiving. I just wanted to be sure."

She smiled, hugging him. "I appreciate that, son, really, but I'm your mom. I should be watching out for you, not the other way around." She released him and they began their short trek. "Goku and your father taught me what the words self preservation mean."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that I may not be nearly as powerful as you, but you don't _always_ have to worry about me."

"Except when you go days at your computer without rest or nourishment, right?" he asked with a smirk.

She sighed. "Yes, there's that, but I would've eaten…eventually."

He remained silent until they saw the Capsule Corporation when his mother nearly fell. "Mom, what is it?"

She stared in amazement, remaining wordless. She hadn't seen the house together in years and it looked like the most beautiful place on the Earth.

Trunks waved a hand in front of her face. "Mom? Hello? Earth to Mom, anybody home?"

She snapped back to reality. "Uh, yeah, yeah, its just…its been a while since I've seen the house in livable conditions."

"Yeah, it has been a while," he commented as he spotted a pink bike on the sidewalk. A girl of about 2 with blue hair in pigtails and a bright red dress with matching shoes ran across the neatly trimmed yard. Trunks instantly pulled his mother behind the trees where he was across the street.

She ran back and forth a few more times, before tripping and skinning her knee on the cement, letting out a wail. It wasn't until Bulma got a clear look at her still form that she recognized her true features.

The little girl looked around, but saw no one coming to help so she increased the volume of her cries. "MOMMY! TWUNKS! MOMMY!" she cried, but still no one came.

Bulma stepped out from behind the trees.

"What! Mom! No!" Trunks yelled, trying to pull her back. "We can't!"

"Why not? We came back here to see everybody anyway."

"But you're no—"

"Mommy!" the little girl said more steadily. "Mommy, I hurt my knee." She tried to stand and walk over, but she fell again, crying more.

He sighed. In a way she was right. They were here to see everybody, but Trunks knew he was right too. His mother wasn't her mother—not exactly. He released her arm. "Go, but I'm coming with you."

Bulma nodded and walked over, picking up the little girl. "Awww! It's okay. It's gonna be okay." She nodded, sniveling and resting her head in her shoulder.

Trunks looked at her, pointing to the closed door of the Capsule Corporation. "Maybe, we should…"

She nodded, walking behind him. He raised his hand to knock, but then lowered it in thought. What were they supposed to say? 'Hi! Remember me? Your son that came from the future 15 years ago? Well, I'm back. Oh, and this is my mother.' Yeah, that'd go over really well. He turned around.

"Well, don't just stand there, knock!" she ordered.

He ran his hand through his hair. "I know, but what do we say? I mean, if Dad answers the door well… then what?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "You're afraid of him?"

"What? No, no, but its just…two of you? Two of me? He'll think we're some crazy imposters or something. You know how suspicious he gets."

She sighed, stepping up beside him and knocking, with the toddler on her hip. He was right, but if she still knew Vegeta as well as she thought she did, nothing of the sort would happen.

Not a second later, the door was flung open and there, clad in only a towel around his waist, stood the Prince of the Sayain race. He looked at the future version of his 'wife' a second and then slammed the door, causing his daughter to squirm and cry.

Future-Bulma could hear him inside the house. "Woman, you never told me you had a sibling!"

The present version of herself sighed. "I don't! And I have a name you know! Would it kill you to use it?"

It took a couple seconds for the door to open again, this time by the present version of herself. She looked her up and down, before her daughter took the conversation. "Mommy?" she said, looking at her. "But you Mommy!" she said confused, looking to her future self.

"What is going on here?" Present-Bulma asked with her hands on her hips.

Trunks stepped up beside his mother. "I, uh, think I can answer that, if you'll let us in, of course," he said, flashing her a pearly smile.

It took her a second for her brain to register who he was _exactly_. After all those years, she'd recognize that hardened exterior anywhere. She hadn't seen him in 15 years, but she'd always recognize him. She reached out and touched his face. "Trunks," she breathed. "The _other_ Trunks. You came to warn us…"

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, what do you think?

Surprise! Yes, I know it's been forever since I've posted anything for this story and I apologize for that. But, as anyone who has my on Author Alert knows, I've become more of a _Law & Order: SVU_ writer anymore. And, yeah, I know I originally said this would be only a 2-shot, but I decided it was getting too long! ;)

This will be a 3-shot.

Review **thanks** to: Thomas Drovin, Kiyamasho, Puja723 & Hmrtaylor

Please read and review!

**Liv-x-Lex4Ever**


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